2009-10-30
Explanation
This single-panel comic shows an angry man grabbing another man by the shirt collar and threatening him: "I'm gonna wear you like a coat! Like a..." He trails off mid-threat as he notices something -- a "snap" sound effect near the other man's shirt, which appears to be tearing or breaking against his body without any effect. The man being grabbed, wearing glasses and a blue shirt, looks completely unfazed. The caption reads: "It was the most awkward possible way to find out your roommate is Superman."
The joke plays on the classic Superman trope of Clark Kent hiding his identity as an ordinary person. Here, a roommate conflict (perhaps over chores or rent) escalates to physical threats, but the aggressor accidentally discovers his roommate's secret identity in the least dignified way possible -- by trying to rough him up and finding that his shirt tears against an invulnerable body. The humor is in the social awkwardness of the situation: not only has the bully failed to intimidate his roommate, but he has also stumbled onto a world-shattering secret during what was supposed to be a petty domestic dispute.
The votey extends the roommate dynamic with Superman saying: "In my defense, I do, like, 60% of the dishes around here." This grounds the absurdity by showing that even Superman has mundane roommate arguments about household chores, and his defense is the classic roommate claim of doing more than their fair share of the dishes.